By now you should know, if you go see a Marvel Studios movie, stay through the credits. Since 2008’sIron Man, Marvel Studios has rewarded viewers who stick around through the entirety of the credits with an extra scene. Sometimes this scene comes all the way at the end of the credits, sometimes mid-way through, and sometimes both. Some of these scenes have big reveals or teases for future movies, and some are simply codas for the film that came before. But they’re all interesting in their own way—although sometimes you might need a little explanation on exactly what the scene was setting up, referring to, or referencing.
So we’ve got your back. Below, you’ll find detailed explanations for every Marvel after-credits scene thus far. Now, this doesn’t apply toanymovie that has the Marvel logo—X-Men: Days of Future Pasthas a post-credits scene, but that film is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These are MCU films only, since all of their post-credits scenes have a cohesiveness and structure to them that builds on what came before and teases what’s to come, just like the films themselves. So let’s get started.
WithRobert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark having just outed himself as Iron Man, thereby immediately setting the MCU apart from other superhero franchises by doing away with secret identities, he returns to his Malibu home at night to discover a shadowy figure in his living room. It’sSamuel L. Jacksonas Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who tells him he’s “become part of a bigger universe”, adding he’s not the only superhero in the world. The scene ends on a note of anticipation, with Fury telling Stark he’s there to talk about “the Avenger Initiative.”
We learn in subsequent films that Fury tracks superheroes as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has been putting together an experimental plan in which he would group up the world’s superheroes into a single team, which would be available to fight major threats the world itself couldn’t handle. Of course as we learn in the context ofIron Man 2that Stark is actually turned down for the Avenger Initiative, and we learn inThe Avengersthat the oversight committee ended up shutting Fury’s entire initiative down. That is, until a god from another realm appears and starts to wreak havoc on the world.
The Incredible Hulk
The post-credits scene inThe Incredible Hulkbegins with General Ross (William Hurt) drinking alone in a bar, when he’s met byRobert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and we learn the two know each other. Stark reminds Ross that the Super Soldier program was “put on ice” for a reason, referring to the program that created Captain America in the 1940s, and which subsequent testing to repeat the results ended up creating the villainous Abomination in theIncredible Hulk. Stark then mentions to Ross that “we’re putting a team together,” nodding to the Avengers Initiative introduced inIron Man’s post-credits scene.
Marvel Studios CEOKevin Feigeadmitted that this scene almost screwed up MCU continuity since it’s never followed up on in any subsequent film, and indeed it’s probably the least essential post-credits scene Marvel has done to date. Although it’s understandable, asIncredible Hulkwas shot nearly at the same time asIron Manand the MCU was still in its infancy.
Iron Man 2
Instead of tying into the film that just happened, theIron Man 2after-credits scene teases the next film in the MCU. We open in the desert, watchingClark Gregg’s Agent Coulson driving to a major crater. Once he arrives, he immediately gets on the phone and says, “Sir, we found it,” as the camera then cuts to Thor’s hammer lodged in the center of the crater.
TheThorpost-credits scene opens withStellan Skarsgard’s Dr. Selvig walking in an underground bunker of sorts, only to come into contact with Nick Fury. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director is deadly serious, praising Selvig for his work while also alluding to the groundbreaking events ofThor(i.e. the proof of life on other planets) as “the New Mexico situation.” Fury then walks Selvig over to a briefcase, saying “Legend tells us one thing, history another. But every now and then we find something that belongs to both,” before opening the briefcase to reveal the Tesseract. The camera then shows a burnt Loki in the reflection, revealing thatTom Hiddleston’s antagonist may not be quite dead after all.
We learn inCaptain America: The First Avengerthat the Tesseract went down with Steve Rogers’ plane and was eventually discovered in the ocean. So this scene connects toCaptain America, but also toThe Avengers, where the Tesseract is the main MacGuffin of the film.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avengerwould serve as the final standalone movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before the studio would attempt to bring all the characters together in the rather riskyThe Avengers. Moreover, it takes placewayin the past, so the post-credits scene here needed to introduceChris Evans’ Steve Rogers in the modern context of the other films. It does this well, as the scene comes up after we’ve just seen Rogers wake up in the modern day at the end ofThe First Avenger. The post-credits scene begins by showing Rogers hitting a punching bag in an empty gym. Nick Fury shows up, and when Rogers asks if he’s trying to get him back in the world, Fury responds, “I’m trying to save it.”
This is actually a scene fromThe Avengersitself, so yes, Joss Whedon directed it. And the scene smash-cuts into the first trailer forThe Avengers, so really the scene itself was more of a tone-setter than teasing some big story point.
The Avengers
After-Credits Scene #1:WithThe Avengers, Joss Whedon kick-started the idea of addingtwopost-credits scenes on Marvel movies instead of the traditional one—one after the initial titles, and one at the very end. Moreover, Whedon didn’t tease a specific upcoming film and instead teased more of an idea, as this first post-credits scene takes place in space where the antagonistic alien referred to as “the Other” confers with his master about the failed attack on Earth. Here it’s revealed that the one pulling the strings is none other than Thanos, an alien comics character who is very bad news for the Avengers.
When the Other tries to tell Thanos how formidable the humans are and how foolish it would be to go up against them again, he notes that to challenge them “is to court Death.” Thanos then turns to the camera and smiles. This is a nod to the fact that in the comics, Death is an actual character that Thanos is constantly trying to impress with his mass killings.
This post-credits scene introduces the idea that Thanos is behind the major machinations to destroy the Avengers and to collect the Infinity Stones, which are revealed to be MacGuffins from various films.
After-Credits Scene #2:The second after-credits scene comes literally at the end of all the credits, and it has nothing to do with story and everything to do with character. In the climax of the film, after Tony is rescued from falling from the sky by Hulk, he mentions the team should go out and get shawarma together after the battle. This second after-credits scene is simply a shot of the entire Avengers team, exhausted and in costume, eating shawarma without talking.
This scene was actually shot the night of the film’s world premiere and added onto the film before it hit theaters. Chris Evans had a beard and thus had to hide his face from the camera.
Iron Man 3
TheShane Black-directedIron Man 3goes back to only one after-credits scene, and it’s a “just for laughs” kind of deal. This scene finds Tony seemingly talking to a therapist about his PTSD, who is revealed to be a very disinterestedMark Ruffalo. After audiences responded to the camaraderie of Ruffalo andRobert Downey Jr.inThe Avengers, this was a smart way of bringing the characters back together while still keeping with the theme ofIron Man 3, which is really a PTSD story.
Thor: The Dark World
After-Credits Scene #1:WhileIron Man 3simply went with a one-and-done-and-fun post-credits scene approach,Thor: The Dark Worldpicks upJoss Whedon’s baton fromThe Avengersand goes with the formula of two post-credits scenes. The first scene, appearing mid-credits, was audiences’ first peek at the world ofGuardians of the Galaxy. We watch asThorcharacters Volstagg and Sif visitBenicio Del Toro’s The Collector, handing over to him the Aether—the mysterious substance that providedThe Dark Worldvillain Malekith with his power. The Collector asks why they’re not keeping the Aether safe on Asgard, and Volstagg points out they already have the Tesseract, adding, “It’s not wise to keep two Infinity Stones so close together.” Once Volstagg and Sif have left, however, the Collector says nefariously “One down. Five to go.”
This serves as the MCU’s confirmation that the Tesseract and the Aether are both Infinity Stones, and that the films are heading towards a confrontation with Thanos as the collection of all six leads to infinite power, so this is actually a pretty substantial scene that also proved to be a tantalizing tease forGuardians.
After-Credits Scene #2:The second post-credits scene inThor: The Dark Worldcomes after the end credits, and is a weird scene in that it resolves a major plot point from the movie. At the end of the film, after defeating Malekith on Earth with the help of Jane and other friendlies, Thor departs for Asgard (again) to deal with the Aether. The film ends without resolving Thor and Jane’s relationship, which was the inciting incident of the entire movie.
So in this post-credits scene, Jane and Co. are seen sitting around their apartment when a thunder crackles and Thor appears, immediately embracing and kissing Jane and thus resolving the question of whether they’re still in a relationship. Although this would markNatalie Portman’s final MCU appearance, so all’s not exactly well that ends well.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
After-Credits Scene #1:The first credits scene inCaptain America: The Winter Soldiercomes up mid-way through the credits, and is a set-up forAvengers: Age of Ultron. We see the villainous Baron von Strucker—the baddie the Avengers battle at the beginning ofAge of Ultron—in a science bunker of sorts, brushing off Fury’s exposure of the Hydra infiltration into S.H.I.E.L.D. Strucker walks up to Loki’s scepter, now in his possession, saying what they have “is worth more than any of them ever knew,” adding they’ve “only scratched the surface” before revealing his surviving volunteers:Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch andAaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver, locked in cubes but exhibiting both of their powers.
This scene is a major exposition set-up forAge of Ultron. It shows that while Captain America may have brought Hydra down publicly, there are still pockets existing throughout the world. Additionally, Baron von Strucker is in possession of alien technology he’s been using to experiment on humans with, killing many but succeeding in the cases of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Referring to them as “volunteers” sets them up as antagonists forAge of Ultron.
After-Credits Scene #2:The second credits scene inThe Winter Soldierconfirms thatSebastian Stan’s Bucky is indeed still alive after his fight with Captain America, as we see the Winter Soldier himself walking around a World War II memorial museum. There, he confronts an exhibit dedicated to himself, Bucky Barnes, hinting that perhaps The Winter Soldier himself may be able to overcome the mind-control experiments and reclaim his past. This ultimately is a set up forCaptain America: Civil War, which would be a few films down the line.
Guardians of the Galaxy
There’s only one post-credits scene inGuardians of the Galaxy, and indeed as writer/directorJames Gunn’s cosmic film had little to do with the rest of the MCU, this one doesn’t set up any future films and instead is an Easter Egg-filled gag. We return to the Collector’s destroyed palace and see him embracing a canine cosmonaut—the comics character Cosmo the Spacedog—and a talking duck that turns out to be Howard the Duck, voiced bySeth Green. Thus far these are just fun nods and have not been followed up on in future films.
